The present invention relates generally to the field of freight transport and more particularly to an apparatus and method for loading and unloading ISO shipping containers onto and off of truck and trailer beds.
International Standards Organization (ISO) sea shipping containers are used to store and transport freight all over the world. At shipping ports, specialized cranes are used to load and unload ISO containers onto and off of heavy semi-trucks and freight trains. Such cranes are typically very large and very expensive and are therefore generally not available to end users of ISO containers, such as individuals and companies who handle relatively small quantities of containers compared to shipping ports.
Traditionally, end users of ISO containers have used conventional truck cranes or winch-bed trucks and trailers to load and unload ISO containers for transport and storage. However, both of these options have significant disadvantages associated with them. For example, truck cranes are expensive, they consume a great deal of space on a truck bed, they can only be used on substantially flat ground, and they require skilled operators to use them. Moreover, loading and unloading ISO containers using truck cranes can be very dangerous, as such operations require ISO containers, which typically weigh several tons, to be lifted high into the air. This creates a drop/crush hazard for individuals in the vicinity of a container that is being loaded or unloaded. Winch-bed trucks and trailers are less expensive and are easier to use than truck cranes, but they require dragging a container onto a truck or trailer bed using cables and hooks. Such dragging can cause significant damage to both the container and to the surface along which the container is dragged. Moreover, loading and unloading containers using either truck cranes or winch-bed trucks and trailers is very time consuming and requires an operator to manually fasten a container to, or unfasten a container from, a truck bed or trailer.
In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide means for loading and unloading ISO shipping containers that is relatively inexpensive, fast, safe, easy to use, that does not require a skilled operator, and that does not cause damage to containers or to surfaces upon which containers rest. It would further be advantageous to provide such means that allows containers to be fastened and unfastened to and from truck and trailer beds quickly and automatically.